[Watch and Learn] - Your Worst Service and Support Situations - Solved!

Remember that horrible customer service situation you were in? Learn how to handle some of the worst customer situations you can imagine in customer contact environments!

Hear support industry expert Rich Gallagher, author of The Customer Service Survival Kit, as he demonstrates how to survive and solve those support situations.

In addition, you will hear Rich answer attendee’s questions on their own worst-case scenarios.

Watch this webinar and learn how to:

• Manage expectations when they demand what they can’t have
• Execute when everything goes wrong
• Service recovery: When you are at fault
• Quell a social media firestorm

View the webinar today!

TeamSupport Launches All-New Integration with Salesforce CRM
TeamSupport.com, the award-winning creator of one of the leading customer support software suites, announced the launch of its newest feature: an all-new integration with Salesforce CRM. TeamSupport’s new Salesforce integration provides two-way data flow. Now, when a user creates a help ticket in TeamSupport, it will automatically create a case in Salesforce. Likewise, when a case is created in Salesforce, it will automatically create a ticket in TeamSupport. This integration provides seamless, bi-directional synchronization of case and customer data between the two platforms.

ForeSee Introduces the Next Generation of Net Promoter Score (NPS): The Word-of-Mouth Index (WoMI)
ForeSee, a provider of technology-driven customer experience analytics, introduced the Word-of-Mouth Index: The Next Generation Net Promoter Score (NPS®). While NPS was designed to provide a metric to measure customer loyalty, it falls short by only measuring “likelihood to recommend”-- inaccurately assuming that if someone is not recommending, they are detracting. WoMI evolves NPS by measuring both likelihood to recommend and likelihood to detract from a specific brand. WoMI delivers on the promise of NPS by creating a more precise, accurate and actionable measurement. This allows organizations to take action to foster more positive word-of-mouth and decrease negative word-of-mouth by increasing customer satisfaction and improving the overall customer experience – taking NPS to the next level of usefulness by providing actionable data.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Selects NetSuite SuiteCommerce for its Multi-channel Global Commerce Platform
NetSuite Inc., a provider of cloud-based financial / ERP software suites, announced that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has selected NetSuite SuiteCommerce as the multi-channel retail and business management platform for its global expansion into Australia. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. went live on NetSuite SuiteCommerce to power four newly-launched and individually-branded ecommerce storefronts in Australia, combined with NetSuite Retail Anywhere POS as the point-of-sale solution. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. implemented NetSuite's CRM capabilities to support customer care center sales and support functions and utilized NetSuite's ERP capabilities to manage procurement, order and inventory management, order reconciliation, fulfillment-based revenue recognition, and financial reporting.

Worldwide Customer Relationship Management Software Market Grew 12.5 Percent in 2012
Salesforce.com passed SAP as the lead vendor in the worldwide customer relationship management (CRM) software market in 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. Total worldwide CRM software revenue totaled $18 billion in 2012, up 12.5 percent from $16 billion in 2011.

Vendors benefited from strong demand for software as a service (SaaS), which represented nearly 40 percent of CRM total software revenue in 2012, as organizations of all sizes sought easier-to-deploy alternatives to replace legacy systems, as net-new applications or to provide alternative complementary functionality.

The top five CRM vendors accounted for nearly 50 percent of CRM software revenue in 2012. Salesforce.com replaced SAP as the largest vendor in the CRM market as its direct sales pushed its CRM revenue to more than $2.5 billion. Second-place SAP's growth was less than one percent in USD terms, largely because currency headwinds were stronger in 2012 and the euro was weak. While SAP was not the worldwide leader in CRM for 2012, it was still the largest vendor in terms of revenue in Western and Eastern Europe.

North America and Western Europe remained the largest regions for CRM, accounting for more than 80 percent of total software revenue, but all regions saw growth. Western Europe's growth was less than one percent, due in part to the strong dollar, which made overall comparisons with prior years difficult. Overall spending in the IT market in Western Europe has been muted because of economic reasons. Areas of growth continued to be in Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East and Africa, which saw IT spending for the modernization of countries' infrastructure (utilities, telecommunications, banking and government).

In 2012, vendors continued to expand their offerings with new features and functionality, often through acquisition. The wave of consolidation activity that began flowing through the market in 2009 continued throughout 2012, with more than 50 acquisitions, resulting in increased competition at the top end of the market, with the real start of the global sales forces kicking in some sales. Marketing has been the focus for investment in the past couple of years, growing at more than four times the software industry forecast norm in 2012. Marketing was also the target area for acquisitions by IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and others as analytics, lead quality and multichannel support for social and mobile technologies continue to lead the list of requirements by line-of-business buyers.

More...

Lower Expectations for IT Spending as Sequester & Global Economic Uncertainty Impact Business Confidence
According to the just released International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Black Book (Version 1, 2013), IT spending was slightly below expectations in the second half of 2012 and first quarter of 2013. Economic uncertainty surrounding the U.S. government sequester, European debt crisis, and weakening GDP in China has resulted in volatile spending patterns across most segments of the market, with many IT vendors reporting difficulty closing deals at the end of Q1 2013. IDC now projects worldwide IT spending growth of 4.9% this year in constant currency, down from the previous forecast of 5.5% growth and representing a slowdown from the 5.6% growth recorded in 2012. As a result, worldwide IT spending is forecast to reach $2.06 trillion in 2013. Worldwide ICT spending, which includes telecom services spending, will increase by 4.5% to $3.7 trillion.

The strength of the U.S. dollar may continue to have an adverse impact on the reported revenues of U.S.-based IT vendors. In 2012, IT spending increased by just 2.9% in U.S. dollars, a significant downturn from 9.5% U.S. dollar growth in 2011. Based on average exchange rates from Q1 2013, this year's growth is on track to increase by 4.2% in U.S. dollar terms.

Deteriorating PC Shipments

The reduction in IDC's overall forecast for 2013 is largely driven by rapidly deteriorating PC shipments since the second half of 2012. According to the new report, IDC now expects PC spending to decline by 3% in constant currency this year, representing a third successive year of declining PC revenues. The shift to mobile devices remains a key driver for overall tech spending growth. Excluding mobile phones and tablets, worldwide IT spending increased by only 2.8% in 2012 and is forecast to grow by just 2.6% this year. Worldwide spending on smartphones will increase by 17% in 2013 while tablet spending will grow by 32%.The combined growth rate for PCs and tablets, meanwhile, will remain stable in the range of 4-5%.

Cloud Services Cannibalizes Software and IT Services

Just as tablets are cannibalizing PC spending, so the growth of cloud services continues to cannibalize commercial software and IT services. Software spending in the U.S. grew slightly slower than forecast in 2012, and IDC has consequently reduced the U.S. software forecast to 6% growth for 2013 (from 7%). IT services demand remains stable, but the pass through from capital spending and software deployment remains tepid by historical standards. IDC now forecasts growth of 5.6% in worldwide software spending in 2013 (constant currency), and 3.8% in IT services.

Decline in Server Revenues

Meanwhile, the report suggests a decline in overall server revenues while storage infrastructure spending will cool somewhat after the major spending cycle of 2011/2012. IDC now projects 2.4% growth in worldwide storage hardware revenues this year, down from 6.1% growth in 2012. Network infrastructure investment was strong in 2012, as many carriers invested in the deployment of LTE networks, but this will also cool in 2013. Service provider spending on network equipment will increase by 1.1% this year, compared to 5.8% in 2012. Enterprise network spending should remain more stable, projected to post growth of 6.8%.

Global Economy

Emerging markets are still the engines of growth for worldwide IT spending, with strong trends continuing in markets such as India and Brazil in recent months. The weakest performing geographies will be Western Europe and Japan, where slow economic growth is inhibiting IT spending while the U.S. market remains fragile in the context of political uncertainty.

More.....

Tap CRM to Give Your Customers a Pleasant Surprise
Customer relationship management may lead to smoother sales and service interactions between you and your customers, but it can also help you go above and beyond. Your customers are filling your CRM system with intelligence about their desires and their needs; it's time to use that data to help cement your relationship with them for the long term.
Full Article...

The Rise of Social Customer Care
For the past two years, DMG has been evaluating the current and future role of customer service and contact centers in handling social media interactions for enterprises. In November 2011, DMG issued the results of a worldwide benchmark study on this subject. The study, along with our ongoing research, has led us to make the projections that will change the way that most organizations handle their social media interactions. They will also alter the servicing landscape, driving operational, technical, and procedural changes and enhancements.
Full Article...

Are You Ready for the Customer Touch – Anywhere It Happens?
How often does the image a company builds through advertising and marketing match its treatment of customers through less glamorous touchpoints, like pre-sales, contract negotiations, on-boarding and billing? If it’s not often enough, then your reputation and profitability are suffering. Any time your staff engages customers there is the opportunity to delight – or, unfortunately, to disappoint. So considering that meaningful customer contact occurs at every touchpoint, how often do companies evaluate ALL of their customer touchpoints to weigh their efficacy?
Full Article...

Building a Customer Experience Strategy
The first step in building any customer experience (CX) strategy is understanding your customer; who are they, what do they expect, how do they expect you to act and when do they want interaction. In this data collection exercise, which by the way, is on going to support a flexible strategy and proper execution, you’re looking for actionable, data driven insights that can be used to build a customer experience roadmap. Roadmap and strategy in hand, then here are a few tips that have helped companies work through the complex steps to support ongoing execution of the strategy.
Full Article...

5 Secrets A CIO Needs To Know In Order To Create A Social Media Plan
Darn that social media stuff! Just when you thought that the job of being a CIO couldn’t get any tougher, along comes this whole new way for the world to communicate. The arrival of social media has just boosted the importance of information technology. What makes things even tougher is that the rest of the company is waiting for you to tell them what the rules for using social media at work is.
Full Article...

Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results
by Jack Mitchell

Author Jack Mitchell has a deceptively simple but winning relationship approach to customer service -- that a relationship is at the heart of every transaction. His business philosophy is based on "hugs" -- personal touches that impress and satisfy the customer, such as:

• Remembering the name of your customer's dog
• Calling a customer to make sure he's satisfied after a purchase
• Having a "kids' corner" with TV, books, and treats
• Knowing your customers golf handicap
• Introducing customers to business contacts
• Letting your customer use your office to make a personal phone call

Complete with anecdotes that exemplify outstanding customer service, Hug Your Customers shows how any business can adapt this hugging philosophy to attract great staff, lower marketing costs, and maintain higher gross margins and long-term revenues.

For more information, click here.

Free Research on the Service and Support Industry
Are you looking for the latest research available (for free!) on the service and support industry? Then check out the research section of SupportIndustry.com. Some of the current offerings available to members are:

• 2012 Service and Support Metrics Results
• The 2012 Service & Support Snapshot: 5 Support Trends That Will Change Your Business in 2012
• 2011 State of the Industry: Six Trends Every Support Organization Should Know
• 2011 Survey Results: How Support Behaviors are Changing for Mobile and Social Media Environments
• 2010 Service and Support Metrics Survey
• Research Insight: Self-Service Support
• Research Insight: Average Speed to Answer, Wait Time and Handle Time
• 2010 Service and Leadership Trends in Customer Support
• Research Insight: Effectively Measuring Customer Loyalty
• Research Insight: Cost Per Contact (Phone & E-Mail)
• Research Insight: First Contact Resolution

All of these reports can be accessed by clicking here:
http://www.supportindustry.com/research.htm

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